IP Library Granted Patent US 12,428,804
Granted Patent B2
US 12,428,804 · App. 17/030,867 · Granted Sep 30, 2025

Shovel that performs control to avoid contact with surrounding object

Inventor: Takashi Nishi (Chiba, JP)
Assignee: SUMITOMO CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
E02F3/434E02F3/439E02F9/2033E02F9/2037E02F9/2041E02F9/2045E02F9/265
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,428,804
App. No.
17/030,867
Granted
Sep 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A shovel includes a lower traveling body, an upper turning body turnably mounted on the lower traveling body, a surroundings monitoring device attached to the upper turning body, and a controller configured to identify the state of an object based on the output of the surroundings monitoring device.

Claims (38)

1. A shovel comprising:

a lower traveling body;

an upper turning body turnably mounted on the lower traveling body;

an attachment attached to the upper turning body, the attachment including an end attachment;

a surroundings monitoring device attached to the upper turning body and configured to monitor an object; and

a hardware processor configured to

calculate an excavation completion position and a soil discharging start position,

calculate a trajectory along which to move the end attachment from the calculated excavation completion position to the calculated soil discharging start position during a boom raising and turning operation,

detect a change in a state of a movable part of the object based on an output of the surroundings monitoring device,

autonomously change the calculated trajectory when the movable part of the object is predicted to be in the calculated trajectory as a result of the change in the state of the movable part of the object, and

autonomously move the end attachment along the changed trajectory,

wherein the object is a dump truck, and

the hardware processor is configured to detect a state of soil loaded onto a bed of the dump truck based on the output of the surroundings monitoring device and calculate the soil discharging start position based on the detected state of the soil, before a start of a soil discharging operation.

2. The shovel according to claim 1 , wherein the hardware processor is configured to perform control that avoids contact with the object.

3. The shovel according to claim 1 , wherein

the hardware processor is configured to set a prohibited area for the dump truck based on the output of the surroundings monitoring device, the prohibited area being a three-dimensional space whose outline is a similar extension of an outline of the dump truck.

4. The shovel according to claim 1 , wherein

the dump truck includes the bed, a gate openably and closably attached to the bed, and a cover openably and closably attached to the gate, and

the hardware processor is configured to three-dimensionally identify the state of the movable part, the movable part including the bed, the gate, and the cover.

5. The shovel according to claim 4 , wherein the hardware processor is further configured to three-dimensionally identify a pillar located at a back end of the bed of the dump truck.

6. The shovel according to claim 4 , wherein the state of the bed includes inclination of the dump truck.

7. The shovel according to claim 1 , wherein

the hardware processor is configured to identify a front panel of the dump truck.

8. The shovel according to claim 3 , wherein the hardware processor is configured to correct the prohibited area in accordance with the change in the state of the movable part.

9. The shovel according to claim 3 , wherein the hardware processor is configured to set the prohibited area larger than the bed of the dump truck.

10. The shovel according to claim 3 , wherein the hardware processor is configured to set a boundary surface of the prohibited area at a position a predetermined distance away from a front panel of the dump truck toward a back of the dump truck.

11. The shovel according to claim 3 , wherein the hardware processor is configured to set a boundary surface of the prohibited area at a position higher than an inner bottom surface of the bed of the dump truck by a predetermined distance.

12. The shovel according to claim 1 , wherein

the hardware processor is configured to compare a three-dimensional shape of the dump truck with a prestored three-dimensional model of the dump truck, determine the state of the movable part based on a result of said comparing, and calculate or change the trajectory based on the determined state of the movable part.

13. The shovel according to claim 1 , wherein

the hardware processor is configured to limit a speed of a working portion of the shovel by a predetermined upper limit value when a distance between the working portion and the dump truck is less than a predetermined value.

14. The shovel according to claim 1 , wherein

the change in the state of the movable part includes opening and closing of the movable part and an upward movement and a downward movement of the movable part.

15. The shovel according to claim 1 , wherein the hardware processor is configured to predict, in response to determining that the end attachment reaches a predetermined position, a future trajectory of the end attachment from the predetermined position based on the calculated trajectory up to the predetermined position, and autonomously change the calculated trajectory in response to determining that if the end attachment continues to move along the calculated trajectory, the end attachment enters a predetermined area set for the object.

16. The shovel according to claim 1 , wherein

the hardware processor is configured to

correct the soil discharging start position in accordance with a direction of movement and an amount of movement of the dump truck, in response to detecting a movement of the dump truck less than a predetermined allowable distance based on the output of the surroundings monitoring device, and

calculate the trajectory again based on the corrected soil discharging start position.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 28, 2020
From: NISHI, TAKASHI
To: SUMITOMO CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 053898/0433 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2018-058914 · Mar 26, 2018 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2019012563 · Mar 25, 2019
Related Publication 20210002852A1 · Jan 7, 2021
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Cited By (1)
US 12,630,998